Driving analysis and instruction device

ABSTRACT

A racing coach device stores a first path of travel along a racetrack over a first time period and a second path of travel along the racetrack over a second time period. The racing coach device identifies, for each of a plurality of geolocations along the racetrack, one of the first path of travel or the second path of travel that is associated with a shorter duration of time over which the user traversed a segment of the path of travel associated with each of the plurality of geolocations. The device determines an optimal path of travel along the racetrack based on the identified first and second path of travel for each segment of the path of travel at each of the plurality of geolocations that results in a calculated lap time to traverse the racetrack that is less than the first time period and the second time period.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of, and claims prioritybenefit to, co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 16/705,032, entitled “DRIVING ANALYSIS ANDINSTRUCTION DEVICE,” filed Dec. 5, 2019, which claims the benefit under35 USC § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/775,614,entitled “DRIVING ANALYSIS AND INSTRUCTION DEVICE,” filed Dec. 5, 2018.The contents of the above-mentioned patent applications are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Vehicle racing of all kinds requires precision in turning, acceleration,and deceleration to minimize the time required for a user to travelaround a racetrack (i.e., time required to complete a lap of aracetrack). The timing and amount of steering input (turning) andacceleration associated with maneuvering the vehicle at each momentdepends on numerous factors, which may include one or morecharacteristics of the racetrack, environmental conditions, one or morecharacteristics of the vehicle, and a driving style of the racer. All ofthese factors influence a driver's ability to complete laps of theracetrack in a short duration of time on a consistent basis.

More specifically, individuals who operate a vehicle on a racetrack,such as a road having a combination of various turns and that begins andends at a start/finish line, typically desire to improve theirperformance by reducing the duration of time required to complete a laparound the track. Experienced drivers and driving instructors aregenerally aware that driving a vehicle along one or more paths along thetrack (i.e., driving lines or racing lines) may enable the driver tocomplete a lap more quickly than other paths around the track.Inexperienced drivers are typically unaware of the desired paths alongthe track. Additionally, the geographic locations along the track wherethe vehicle begins to accelerate out of turns and where the vehiclebegins to decelerate (brake) into turns influence a driver'sperformance.

Conventional driving analysis devices have various limitations. Someconventional driving analysis devices simply provide lap times bydetermining the duration of time that passed for the vehicle to returnto a geographic location corresponding to a start/finish line. Otherconventional driving analysis devices include a GPS receiver thatdetermines a time and a geographic location of the vehicle at aplurality of locations around the track. Some conventional drivinganalysis devices output the determined geographic location informationto a computing device containing software that compares the vehicle'sposition at a plurality of points along the track (i.e., track log) to astored reference track log, which may correspond to a prior performanceby a reference driver who typically drove around the track in a shorterlength of time than the driver whose data is being analyzed. Thecomputing device may identify differences between the track log and thereference track log based on the comparison and present the identifieddifferences on a display in a manner that may enable the driver toidentify areas of his performance that may be improved to reduce theduration of time required to complete laps of the track (by reducing thenumber of differences between his performance and the referenceperformance). Other conventional driving analysis devices record videofootage of one or more field(s) of view as the vehicle travels aroundthe track for subsequent playback by the driver (after completion of theactivity) to identify areas of his performance that may be improved.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present technology provide devices and methods ofimproving vehicle racing performance by analyzing previous interactionsby a user (a racer), determining an optimal path of travel for thevehicle, and providing feedback enabling the user to control the vehicleto utilize that optimal path of travel. The optimal path of travel mayinclude various optimal characteristics of the racer, including alateral position of the vehicle between the width of the racetrack, avelocity of the vehicle, acceleration of the vehicle, deceleration ofthe vehicle (such as braking), steering input provided by the racer tomaneuver the vehicle, and other characteristics.

An embodiment of the invention is directed to a racing coach device. Theracing coach device includes a memory device, an output device, and aprocessing element. The memory device is configured to store datarepresentative of a first path of travel along a racetrack over a firsttime period and data representative of a second path of travel along theracetrack over a second time period. The processing element is coupledwith the memory device and the output device. The processing element isconfigured to identify, for each of a plurality of geolocations alongthe racetrack, one of the first path of travel or the second path oftravel that is associated with a shorter duration of time over which thedriver traversed a segment of the path of travel associated with each ofthe plurality of geolocations. The processing element is furtherconfigured to determine an optimal path of travel along the racetrackbased on the identified first and second path of travel for each segmentof the path of travel at each of the plurality of geolocations thatresults in a calculated lap time to traverse the racetrack that is lessthan the first time period and the second time period. The processingelement is further configured to control the output device to providethe determined optimal path of travel.

The racing coach device may further include a display, a speaker, alocation determining component (e.g., a GPS receiver), a camera, and amotion sensor (e.g., an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a tilt sensor, aninclinometer, a gyroscope, etc.), or any combination thereof, thatassesses a driver's performance to determine one or more recommendationsthat may enable the driver to improve his performance in real-time aswell as after completion of the activity. The racing coach device may beremovably mounted within a vehicle operated by the driver along aracetrack. In such embodiments, the racing coach device includes ahousing that enables the device to be mounted to the vehicle. Forexample, the racing coach device may be mounted on a windshield,dashboard or exterior of the vehicle and oriented to capture footage ofa field of view in front of the vehicle.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the detaileddescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspectsand advantages of the present technology will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanyingdrawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Embodiments of the present technology are described in detail below withreference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view of an environment in which a racing coach device,constructed in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology, would operate;

FIG. 2 is a view of a turn of a racetrack of the environment,illustrating how steering input affects driving performance;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views of the racing coach device of oneembodiment of the invention, including a schematic view of internalcomponents;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing exemplary computerized method stepsperformed by the racing coach device;

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating various electroniccomponents of the racing coach device;

FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C is a directed acyclic graph of a method ofdetermining an optimal lap;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a method for determining whether thevehicle is currently in a turn of the racetrack;

FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are exemplary graphical user interfaces shown on adisplay in relation to setting up a race;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are exemplary graphical user interfaces shown on thedisplay in relation to aligning a camera of the racing coach device;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are exemplary graphical user interfaces shown on thedisplay during the race; and

FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D are exemplary graphical user interfacesshown on the display regarding improvements the driving can make insubsequent races.

The drawing figures do not limit the present technology to the specificembodiments disclosed and described herein. While the drawings do notnecessarily provide exact dimensions or tolerances for the illustratedcomponents or structures, the drawings are to scale as examples ofcertain embodiments with respect to the relationships between thecomponents of the structures illustrated in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the technology references theaccompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which thetechnology can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describeaspects of the technology in sufficient detail to enable those skilledin the art to practice the technology. Other embodiments can be utilizedand changes can be made without departing from the scope of the presenttechnology. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to betaken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present technology isdefined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled.

In this description, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or“embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to areincluded in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separatereferences to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” inthis description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and arealso not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. Forexample, a feature, structure, act, etc., described in one embodimentmay also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarilyincluded. Thus, the present technology can include a variety ofcombinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

Exemplary Environment

Embodiments of the present technology relate to improving racingperformance by analyzing previous laps, each typically associated with avehicle traveling along a slightly different path of travel, determiningan optimal path of travel for the automobile, and providing feedbackenabling the user to control the vehicle to utilize that optimal path oftravel. The determined optimal path of travel may be formed of a path oftravel for one or more previous laps and may reflect various optimalcharacteristics of the racer, including a lateral position of thevehicle between the width of the racetrack, a velocity of the vehicle,acceleration of the vehicle, deceleration of the vehicle (such asbraking), steering input provided by the racer to maneuver the vehicle,and other characteristics.

Embodiments of the technology will now be described in more detail withreference to the drawing figures. Referring initially to FIG. 1 , aracing coach device 100 for monitoring and improving race driving isillustrated. The racing coach device 100, constructed in accordance withvarious embodiments of the current technology, is configured to be usedwithin, mounted to, or otherwise associated with an automobile 102 (orother vehicle). The racing coach device 100 determines a lateralposition of the automobile 102 between the width of a racetrack 104 orother route. The racetrack 104 may include a plurality of corners 106.One or more sensors of (or in communication with) racing coach device100 positioned within or mounted to the automobile 102 are configured todetermine a plurality of vehicle parameters associated with theautomobile 102, including but not limited to, a geolocation of theautomobile 102 on the racetrack 104, a lateral position of theautomobile 102 between the width of the racetrack 104, motion data(e.g., a velocity of the automobile 102, a rate of acceleration of theautomobile 102, a rate of deceleration of the automobile 102, etc.), anda current heading 108 of automobile 102. In embodiments, the geolocationmay include or incorporate the lateral position of the automobile 102.The racing coach device 100 may receive motion data from one or moremotion sensors and may determine a current heading 108 based on aplurality of geolocations of the automobile 102. The racing coach device100 determines and stores the vehicle parameters for the automobile 102at a series of locations 110 approaching the turn of the racetrack 104for the current lap and previous laps. The racing coach device 100 mayfurther include a camera, discussed below, with a field of view 112 suchthat the racing coach device 100 captures footage of the racetrack 104and the racing coach device 100 determines a lateral position of theautomobile 102 between the width of the racetrack 104 based on thecaptured footage.

The corner 106 depicted in FIG. 1 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2 .Similar to other corners of the racetrack 104, corner 106 has an entry200, a mid-point 202, and an exit 204. FIG. 2 shows three exemplarypaths along which the automobile 102 traveled through the corner 106based in part on steering input provided by the racer (denoted withpoints where the driver turns in to the corner 106). As can be seen inFIG. 2 , the location at which the racer begins providing steering inputto turn the automobile 102 affects the velocity and the rate ofacceleration and deceleration of the automobile 102 at the entry 200,mid-point 202, and exit 204 of the corner 106. For instance, in thisexample depicted in FIG. 2 , when traveling along the segment associatedwith path of travel 210, the racing coach device 100 may determine thatthe automobile 102, when traveling along path of travel 210 incomparison to paths of travel 216 and 222, has an optimal lateralposition, velocity, and rate of deceleration at entry 200 and whensteering input provided by the racer to maneuver the vehicle begins atan optimal turn-in point 206, the automobile 102 arrives at a apex 208(located at a mid-point 202 of the corner 106) and has an optimallateral position, velocity, and rate of acceleration at exit 204 of thecorner 106. In contrast, when traveling along the segment associatedwith path of travel 216, the automobile 102 has a less-than-optimallateral position, velocity, and rate of deceleration at entry 200 andwhen steering input provided by the racer to maneuver the vehicle beginsat an early turn-in point 212, the automobile 102 comes to an early apex214 and has a less-than-optimal lateral position, velocity, and rate ofacceleration at exit 204 of the corner 106. Similarly, when travelingalong the segment associated with path of travel 222, the automobile 102has a less-than-optimal lateral position, velocity, and rate ofdeceleration at entry 200 and when steering input provided by the racerto maneuver the vehicle begins at a late turn-in point 218, theautomobile 102 comes to a late apex 220 and has a less-than-optimallateral position, velocity, and rate of acceleration at exit 204 of thecorner 106. Thus, with appropriate application of steering input,acceleration and braking, travel of the automobile 102 along path oftravel 210 is a faster path than paths of travel 216, 222 for automobile102 to traverse corner 106. Specifically, racing coach device 100 isconfigured to identify that path of travel of travel 210 is completedover a shorter duration of time than path of travel 216 and path oftravel 222.

Apex 208, 214, and 220 represent examples of points at which theautomobile 102 is the closest to a center of a corner 106 along theinside of the racetrack 104. As such, a lateral position of theautomobile 102 through the corner 106 may be analyzed by the racingcoach device 100 to determine whether the automobile 102 drove throughone of apexes 208, 214, and 220, as discussed below. Embodiments of theinvention monitor operation of the automobile 102 as the drivertraverses the corner 106 of the racetrack 104 and other portions of theracetrack 104 to identify an optimal path of travel, which may includean optimal turn-in point, as well as other aspects and characteristicsof the race (as discussed above, such as acceleration, speed, lateralposition, acceleration (or deceleration), heading, or altitude). It isto be understood, that the optimal path of travel for certain cornersand other portions of the racetrack 104 may not include (pass through)apex 208. Rather, depending on the layout of the racetrack 104, anoptimal path of travel may include (pass through) early apex 214 or lateapex 220 based on the period of time required for automobile 102 totravel the associated segment of the racetrack 104. Embodiments of theinvention provide driver-specific suggestions based upon adriver-specific optimal path that is calculated as discussed below.

It should be appreciated that the present disclosure discussesembodiments of the invention directed to automobiles and automobileracing. However, this discussed field of use is only exemplary. Racingcoach devices may be utilized in any of numerous racing disciplineswhile being within the scope of the invention. Examples of other racingdisciplines which may utilize embodiments of the invention include footraces, skiing/snowboarding races, bike races, sailing races, speedboatraces, and/or aircraft races. As long as these racing disciplinesutilize a well-established routes, similar techniques hardwarecomponents and techniques may be utilized to improve the racingperformance by providing and instructing a driver-specific optimal paththrough the route. It should therefore be noted that throughout thedescription, “automobile” could be replaced by “person,” “bicycle,”“boat,” “aircraft,” or other similar word. Similarly, “driver” could bereplaced by “racer.” It should also be appreciated that the driver maybe interacting with the racing coach device in some instances, where inother instances a physical coach may be present and interacting with theracing coach device. As such, the “driver” could be replaced with“coach,” “person,” or other “user.”

Exemplary Hardware Component

Turning to FIGS. 3A, 3B and 5 , exemplary hardware of the racing coachdevice 100 is shown. In embodiments of the invention, the racing coachdevice 100 is an electronic device configured to be utilized within theautomobile 102. The racing coach device 100 may be mounted via variousmounting hardware (not illustrated) such that the racing coach device100 is secure within the automobile 102. In other embodiments (notillustrated) the racing coach device 100 may be another computingdevice, such as a smart phone, a smart watch, a tablet computing device,or a laptop computing device. In embodiments of the invention, theracing coach device 100 comprises a housing 300, a display 302, aprocessing element 304, a memory device 306, a location determiningcomponent 308, a communication element 310, a camera 312, a speaker 314,a input/output interface 316 (electrically coupled with an externaldisplay 324 and/or an external camera 326), a mount receiver 318, and/orone or more motion sensors 320. The display 302, the speaker 314, and/orthe input/output interface 316 may be individually or collectivelyreferred to as an output device.

The housing 300 generally encloses and protects the components of theracing coach device 100 from moisture, vibration, and impact. In oneembodiment, the housing 300 is a rugged housing 300. The housing 300 maybe constructed from a suitable lightweight and impact-resistant materialsuch as, for example, plastic, nylon, aluminum, or any combinationthereof. The housing 300 may include one or more appropriate gaskets orseals to make it substantially waterproof or resistant. The housing 300may take any suitable shape or size, and the particular size, weight andconfiguration of the housing 300 may be changed without departing fromthe scope of the present technology. In some embodiments, the housing300 may include mounting hardware for mounting the racing coach device100 to the automobile 102 (e.g., a ball and socket mount may be used tosecure the housing 300 to a windshield or dashboard of the automobile102). In other embodiments, the housing 300 may be worn on a wrist ofthe driver as the automobile 102 is driven around the racetrack 104(e.g., a watch).

In some embodiments, the racing coach device 100 includes a housing 300that enables the device to be mounted to the automobile 102 and/or heldin the user's hands. For example, the racing coach device 100 may bemounted on a windshield, dashboard, or exterior of the automobile 102and oriented to capture footage of a field of view 112 in front of theautomobile 102. Alternatively, the racing coach device 100 may bemounted on or near a rear windshield board or exterior of the automobile102 and oriented to capture footage of a field of view behind theautomobile 102.

The display 302 (and external display 324) may include video devices ofthe following types: plasma, light-emitting diode (LED), organic LED(OLED), Light Emitting Polymer (LEP) or Polymer LED (PLED), liquidcrystal display (LCD), thin film transistor (TFT) LCD, LED side-lit orback-lit LCD, heads-up displays (HUDs), electronic paper display (EInk), or the like, or combinations thereof. The display 302 and externaldisplay 324 may possess a circular or a square shape or the display 302and external display 324 may include a rectangular aspect ratio (asillustrated in FIG. 3A for display 302) that may be viewed in either alandscape or a portrait mode. In various embodiments, the display 302may also include a touch screen occupying the entire screen or a portionthereof so that the display functions as a user interface. The touchscreen may allow the driver to interact with the racing coach device 100by physically touching, swiping, or gesturing on areas of the screen.The touch screen may be referred to as an input device of the racingcoach device 100.

The processing element 304 may include one or more processors,microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs),field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), analog and/or digitalapplication-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or the like, orcombinations thereof. The processing element 304 may generally execute,process, or run instructions, code, code segments, software, firmware,programs, applications, apps, processes, services, daemons, or the like,or may step through states of a finite-state machine, or combinations ofthese actions. Machine learning techniques may also be implemented bythe processing element 304. The processing element 304 may be incommunication with the other electronic components through serial orparallel links that include address busses, data busses, control lines,and the like.

The processing element 304 may be configured to retrieve, process and/oranalyze data stored in memory device 306, to store data in memory device306, to replace data stored in the memory device 306, to analyze data orsignals, capture video and/or image data, generate data, receivecommands, control various functions of the systems, etc. In someconfigurations, the processing element 304 may consist of a singlemicroprocessor or microcontroller. However, in other configurations, theprocessing element 304 may comprise a plurality of processing devices(e.g., microprocessors, DSPs, etc.), such that each processor isconfigured to control and perform different operational functions. Forexample, the first processor may be utilized to perform operationalfunctions, such as analyzing the data received from the camera, and thesecond processor may control the presentation of information provided tothe driver on the display 302.

The memory device 306 may include data storage components such asread-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM, erasable programmable ROM,random-access memory (RAM) such as static RAM (SRAM) or dynamic RAM(DRAM), hard disks, floppy disks, optical disks, flash memory (e.g., SDcard), thumb drives, universal serial bus (USB) drives, or the like, orcombinations thereof. The memory device 306 may include, or mayconstitute, a “computer-readable medium”. The memory device 306 maystore the instructions, code, code segments, software, firmware,programs, applications, apps, services, daemons, or the like that areexecuted by the processing element 304. The memory device 306 may alsostore settings, data, documents, sound files, photographs, movies,images, databases, and the like.

Over time, the processing element 304 may store in memory device 306geolocation data, image and video data, motion data, as well asstatistical data to help the driver improve his driving performance. Thestatistical data may include, for example, lap times (e.g., average laptime, best lap time, worst lap time, etc.), sector times (e.g., bydividing the racetrack 104 into three sectors of approximately equallength or anticipated time of completion), segment times (by dividingthe racetrack 104 into more than 3 segments), a path of travel (i.e.,driving lines or racing lines), a top speed, an entry speed for eachturn, an exit speed for each turn, portion(s) of the racetrack 104associated with good performance, portion(s) of the racetrack 104associated with poor performance, heart rate (e.g. max heart rate andaverage heart rate, etc.), a statistical measure of the driversconsistency during the session to demonstrate a mastery of the racetrack104 (lap time repeatability), and a difference between average laptimes. The processing element 304 may also store in the memory device306 a video clip associated with each segment, sector, lap, or sessionfor subsequent replay by the user on the internal display 302 or theexternal display 324. The stored video clips may also be combined toprovide a video representation of the below-discussed optimal path. Theprocessing element 304 may also store the spliced video of the optimalpath in the memory device 306. The statistical data and relatedinformation may be provided to the driver in real-time or aftercompletion of the activity.

The memory device 306 is configured to store a first path of travelalong a racetrack 104 over a first time period and a second path oftravel along the racetrack 104 over a second time period. The memorydevice 306 may receive the respective paths of travel based ongeolocation data determined by the location determining component 308while the automobile 102 is traveling along the racetrack 104. Thisallows the subsequent laps to be compared and combined. The combinedlaps may form an optimal lap, an average lap, or other composite lap.These composite laps may be compared, presented as recommendations, orthe like. Thus, the memory device 306 may store sets of geolocations,timestamps, sensor readings, and other information for further analysisas discussed below. The memory device 306 is configured to a store athreshold distance corresponding to the segment of the path of travelassociated with each of the plurality of geolocations, as discussedbelow.

Generally, the location determining component 308 determines a currentgeolocation of the racing coach device 100 and may process locationsignals, such as radio frequency (RF) electronic signals, received froma global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such as the GlobalPositioning System (GPS) primarily used in the United States, Wide AreaAugmentation System (WAAS), the GLONASS system primarily used in theSoviet Union, the Galileo system primarily used in Europe, or the BeiDousystem primarily used in China, and Ground-Based Augmentation System(GBAS). The location determining component 308 may include satellitenavigation receivers, processors, controllers, other computing devices,or combinations thereof, and memory, utilized to generate geolocationdata. The location determining component 308 may be in electroniccommunication with an antenna that wirelessly receives location signalsfrom one or more of the previously mentioned satellite systems andprovides the location signals to the location determining component 308.The location determining element 308 may process the location signals,which includes data and information, from which a current geolocation isdetermined and associated geolocation data is generated. The currentgeolocation may include geographic coordinates, such as the latitude andlongitude, of the current geographic location of the racing coach device100 as well as the speed, heading, and lateral position of the racingcoach device 100 (and, as a result, the automobile 102). The locationdetermining component 308 may communicate the geolocation data to thememory device 306 for storage and/or the processing element 304. Thus,the location determining component 308 is configured to receive locationsignals and determine a current geolocation of the racing coach device100 (and the automobile 102 in which the racing coach device 100 islocated) using the received location signals.

The communication element 310 generally enables communication betweenthe racing coach device 100 and external systems or devices. Thecommunication element 310 may include signal or data transmitting andreceiving circuits, such as amplifiers, filters, mixers, oscillators,digital signal processors (DSPs), and the like. Various combinations ofthese circuits may form a transceiver, which transmits, receives, andprocesses signals such as the ones listed in the following discussion.The communication element 310 may establish communication wirelessly byutilizing radio frequency (RF) signals and/or data that comply withcommunication standards such as cellular 2G, 3G, or 4G, Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard such asWi-Fi, IEEE 802.16 standard such as WiMAX, Bluetooth™, or combinationsthereof. In addition, the communication element 310 may utilizecommunication standards such as ANT, ANT+, Bluetooth™ low energy (BLE),the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band at 2.4 gigahertz(GHz), or the like. The communication element 310 may be incommunication with the processing element 304 and the memory device 306.In various embodiments, the racing coach device 100 may be configured toestablish communication with more than one protocol or standard, and thecommunication element 310 may include a transceiver for each protocol orstandard, such as Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi, cellular, etc., with which theracing coach device 100 can communicate. The communication element 310may be in electronic communication with an antenna that wirelesslytransmits and receives electronic signals to and from other electronicdevices, such as a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, or a desktopcomputer, or communication network interfaces such as a Wi-Fi router ora cell tower. In embodiments, the racing coach device 100 may wirelesslyreceive image and video data from an external camera 326 via a wirelessconnection through the communication element 310.

The camera 312 generates images and/or video data of the field of view112 captured by the camera 312 (the “video data” or the “image data”).The camera 312 is configured to capture image data (video data whenfootage is aggregated over time) including consecutive frames of theroad and objects in the field of view 112 of the camera 312. In oneembodiment, the camera 312 may selectively capture image data inresponse to one or more predetermined events determined to have occurredor conditions determined to have been satisfied by processing system. Inanother embodiment, the camera 312 may continuously capture image and/orvideo data. The camera 312 may include any suitable combination ofhardware and/or software such as image sensors, optical stabilizers,image buffers, frame buffers, charge-coupled devices (CCDs),complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices, etc., tofacilitate this functionality. In embodiments, the camera 312 capturesin each frame the objects present in the field of view 112. The camera312 may create many such frames each second. The camera 312 may storethe image and/or video data to any suitable portion of memory device306, which may be stored in a “rolling buffer” format such that storeddata is overwritten periodically, such as every 15 minutes or everyhour, unless a user provides an input to the user interface indicatingthat the image data is no longer desired to be collected and stored inmemory device 306.

For the ease of discussion, camera 312 is described as positioned withinhousing 300, but it is to be understood that an external camera 326 incommunication with the racing coach device 100, via the communicationelement 310 or the input/output interface 316, operates similar tocamera 312 and processing element 304 utilizes data and informationreceived from the external camera 326 as described herein for data andinformation received from external camera 326.

In some embodiments, the racing coach device 100 may include two or morecameras. For the ease of discussion, the description that followsprimarily refers to the use of one camera 312; however, it should beunderstood that the description also applies to embodiments in which theracing coach device 100 includes two or more cameras. Embodimentsincluding two optical cameras may be advantageous for a variety ofpurposes, such as determining the location of and tracking objects alongthe racetrack 104 (a distance may be determined by using two imagesspaced laterally and applying techniques such as binocular depthperception). The racing coach device 100 may be removably mounted withinthe automobile 102 operated by the driver along a racetrack 104. In suchembodiments, the racing coach device 100 includes a housing 300 thatenables the racing coach device 100 to be mounted to the automobile 102(as discussed above). For example, the racing coach device 100 may bemounted on a windshield, dashboard or exterior of the automobile 102 andoriented to capture footage of a field of view 112 in front of theautomobile 102. The camera 312 may be independently movable relative tothe racing coach device 100. Alternatively, the racing coach device 100may be mounted on or near a rear windshield board or exterior of theautomobile 102 and oriented to capture footage of a field of view behindthe automobile 102. It is to be understood that the camera 312 may bemounted such that the field of view may exist in any direction from theautomobile 102 (e.g., left side, right side, etc.). In some embodiments,the camera 312 may be an omnidirectional camera having a 360-degreefield of view around the automobile 102 within or on which the camera312 is mounted.

In embodiments, the processing element 304 may be configured to performvideo analysis techniques (using a suitable video processing algorithm)on image (and/or video) data that may be stored in the memory device306. The suitable algorithms may include one or more of a linearclassifier algorithm, a support vector machine algorithm, a quadraticclassifier algorithm, a kernel estimation algorithm, a boostingmeta-algorithm, a decision tree algorithm, a neural network algorithm, alearning vector quantization algorithm, or other suitable algorithm. Theprocessing element 304 may analyze image data of the field of view 112to identify a current position of the racing coach device 100 on theracetrack 104 (e.g., straight, approaching turn, in turn, start/finishline, etc.) and a lateral position of the automobile 102 within a widthof the racetrack 104. To do so, the processing element 304 may beconfigured to retrieve from memory device 306 and analyze one or moreframes of image and/or video data to identify a portion of the racetrack104 and a lateral position of the automobile 102 within the racetrack104. In embodiments, the processing element 304 may analyze image datareceived from the camera 312 to determine a distance to a turn and alateral position of the automobile 102 as it approaches the corner 106.

The racing coach device 100 may include a speaker 314 and/or anaudio-output device (not illustrated) utilized to output audiblerecommendations to the driver during the activity. The audio-outputdevice may utilize an external speaker or headphone. For example, theaudio-output device may receive a jack for a set of headphones worn bythe driver during the race. As another example, the audio-output devicemay be a Bluetooth device that sends the audible recommendations to thespeaker system of the automobile 102 for output of the audiblerecommendations.

The racing coach device 100 may include an input/output interface 316that may enable interaction between racing coach device 100 and anexternal display 324, an external camera 326, or a secondary electronicdevice 322, such as a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer, having aprocessing element, memory device and/or user interface. In embodiments,an external display 324 and user interface may be utilized by racingcoach device 100 to present performance information and provide userinterface functionality. Racing coach device 100 may not include aninternal display 302 and may utilize an external display 324 to presentperformance information and provide user interface functionality. Racingcoach device 100 may supplement the functionality of the display 302 anduser interface (discussed below) included in racing coach device 100with an external display 324, external processing element, and/orexternal memory associated with the secondary electronic device 322. Forexample, racing coach device 100 may use input/output interface 316 totransmit performance data (unprocessed, semi-processed or fullyprocessed) to enable a secondary electronic device 322 to provide a userinterface and/or visual or audible information (using an externaldisplay 324 or speaker 314 associated with the secondary device),processing functionality (using a processing element 304 associated withthe secondary device) or data storage functionality (using a memoryelement 306 associated with the secondary device). In some embodiments,external components may be operable to perform any of the functionalityassociated with the various internal components described herein.

The input/output interface 316 generally allows the user to upload datato, download data from, or adjust the settings of the racing coachdevice 100. The input/output interface 316 may be wired or wireless andmay include antennas, signal or data receiving circuits, and signal ordata transmitting circuits. The input/output interface 316 may transmitand receive radio frequency (RF) signals and/or data and may operateutilizing communication standards such as ANT, ANT+, Bluetooth™ lowenergy (BLE), Near Field Communications (NFC), or the like. In variousembodiments, the input/output interface 316 may transmit and receivedata using the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band at 2.4gigahertz (GHz). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the input/outputinterface 316 may communicate with a wireless dongle that connects tothe USB port of a desktop, laptop, notebook, or tablet computer, orother electronic device. An exemplary input/output interface 316includes an nRF51922 RF integrated circuit (IC) from NordicSemiconductor of Trondheim, Norway. In embodiments, the racing coachdevice 100 may receive image and video data from an external camera 326via a wired connection to the input/output interface 316.

The mount receiver 318 is comprises one or more openings configured toreceive any of various mounting hardware, so as to secure the housing300 within the automobile 102. For example, a ball-and-socket mountinghardware may be secured to a dashboard or windshield of the automobile102. The mount receiver 318 is configured to interface with the mountinghardware so as to be removable secured. The mount receiver 318 may allowfor a consistent orientation of the racing coach device 100 relative tothe automobile 102. This may allow the display 302 and the camera 312 tobe at a consistent orientation relative to the driver and field of view112, respectively.

One or more motion sensors 320 may be contained within the housing 300or communicatively coupled with the racing coach device 100. The one ormore motion sensors 320 may be a component of the automobile 102, acomponent of another device within the automobile 102, and/or acomponent of the racing coach device 100. The motion sensors 320 maygenerate motion data associated with the movement of the automobile 102as it travels around the racetrack 104. The motion sensors 320 generallysenses motion of the racing coach device 100 and, in turn, theautomobile 102 in which the racing coach device 100 is mounted (asdiscussed above). The motion sensors 320 may include accelerometers,tilt sensors, inclinometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, combinationsthereof, or other devices including piezoelectric, piezoresistive,capacitive sensing, or micro electromechanical systems (MEMS)components. The motion sensors 320 may sense motion along one axis ofmotion or multiple axes of motion, such as the three orthogonal axes X,Y, and Z. The motion sensor 320 generally communicates motion data tothe memory device 306 and the processing element 304. The rate at whichthe one or more motion sensors 320 generate and communicate motion datato the memory device 306 and the processing element 304 may vary basedon various criteria. The one or more motion sensors 320 thus generatedata associated with the motion of the automobile 102. The processingelement 304 may utilize geolocation data and motion data from one ormore motion sensors 320 to determine a turn in real time, so as to aidin the provision of audible recommendations to the driver, as discussedin depth below.

Exemplary Method Steps

Turning now to FIG. 4 , an exemplary method performed by theabove-discussed hardware components will now be described. Generally,the processing element 304 may determine and provide a recommendation toenable the driver to improve his performance on the racetrack 104. Theprocessing element 304 may control display 302 and headset/speaker 314to present or provide the determined recommendations in real-time orafter completion of the activity. In embodiments, the racing coachdevice 100 may include a communication element 310 that enables theprocessing element 304 to transmit and receive signals (e.g.,communication signals to or from a transceiver connected to theautomobile's OBD-II interface) as well as data relating to a driver'sdriving performance and the racetrack 104. For instance, the racingcoach device 100 may communicate with a smartphone or computing deviceto upload or download data and information to or from a remote server,such as Garmin Connect. In embodiments, the data received by the racingcoach device 100 from a remote sever and stored in memory device 306 mayinclude driving performance data (associated with the user or anotherdriver) and the processing element 304 may utilize the received drivingperformance data as a reference racetrack log for use with evaluatingthe driver's driving performance and determining inefficiencies andassociated driving recommendations.

The processing element 304 may determine whether the automobile 102traveled through a corner along the optimal path and whether thetraveled path was traveled at optimal speeds (e.g., an entry speed atentry 200, an apex speed at mid-point 202, and an exit speed at exit204, etc.) to identify aspects of the driver's performance that may beimproved. In embodiments, the processing element 304 may utilize thegeographic location information received from the location determiningcomponent 308 as well as the motion data received from the one or moremotion sensors 320 (e.g., deceleration associated with automobile 102braking, acceleration associated with automobile 102 acceleration,lateral gravitational forces associated with automobile 102 resultingfrom accelerating, decelerating, and turning, etc.) to determine whetherthe automobile 102 traveled along an optimal path of travel at optimalspeeds to identify aspects of the driver's performance that may beimproved. For example, the processing element 304 may utilize the motiondata to determine at which geographic locations along the racetrack 104the automobile 102 decelerated (braked) and began turning as well asresumed accelerating to determine whether steering input was provided atthe optimal turn-in point 206, the automobile 102 traveled through apex208, and other aspects of the driving performance were optimal.

Once the below-discussed analysis is complete, the processing element304 may control one or more output devices, such as display 302 andheadset/speaker 314, to provide visual and audible feedback andrecommendations as the driver continues to drive the automobile 102around the racetrack 104. For example, the processing element 304 mayoutput audio signals relating to the identified performance aspectsafter the automobile 102 completes a corner 106 and upon automobile 102approaching corner 106 on a subsequent lap of racetrack 104. Forexample, the processing element 304 may determine and immediately notifythe driver (via the display 302 and the headset/speaker 314) that theautomobile 102 entered turn five too fast (as a result of incorrectbraking) along a path of travel that caused automobile 102 to enter theturn wide and may result in a miss of the apex of corner 106.

In some embodiments, the processing element 304 may present visualinformation on the display 302 or control the headset/speaker 314 tooutput audio signals with a recommendation relating to an upcomingmaneuver before the driver reaches the maneuver based onpreviously-identified aspects of the driver's performance that may beimproved (i.e., the processing element 304 is providing a recommendationin anticipation of a maneuver in real-time based on past performance) orprovide feedback on completed maneuvers, as discussed below. Forexample, if the processing element 304 determines that automobile 102entered turn five too fast (as a result of late braking) along a path oftravel that caused automobile 102 to enter the turn wide and miss theapex of the corner, the processing element 304 may determine and provide(via the display 302 and/or the headset/speaker 314) a recommendationrelating to turn five at a time determined by the processing element 304to provide sufficient time for the recommendation to be provided andunderstood by the driver, such as upon determining that the automobile102 has completed turn four (per the turn analyzer discussed below). Inthis example, the determined recommendation may be for the automobile102 to brake earlier for turn five in comparison to the previous lap, asuggested lateral position along the racetrack 104 for entry to turnfive (e.g., at a lateral position towards one side of the racetrack 104in comparison to the previous lap) and a reminder and instructions howto pass through apex 208 of turn five.

In Step 400, the processing element 304 identifies a first path oftravel. The first path of travel may be based upon a lap of racetrack104, or a segment thereof (e.g., a corner of racetrack 104, portions ofracetrack 104 separated by a predetermined distance, such as 5 feet or50 feet, etc.), by automobile 102. The first path of travel will includea set of geolocations and other vehicle parameters associated with aseries of locations 110 of the automobile 102 as the automobile 102traversed the first path of travel. The first path of travel is storedin memory device 306 such that it may be retrieved and analyzed byprocessing element 304, as discussed below.

In Step 402, the processing element 304 identifies a second path oftravel. Similar to the first path of travel, the second path of travelmay be based upon a lap of racetrack 104, or a segment thereof (e.g., acorner of racetrack 104, portions of racetrack 104 separated by apredetermined distance, such as 5 feet or 50 feet, etc.), by automobile102. The second path of travel includes a set of geolocations and othervehicle parameters associated with a series of locations 110 of theautomobile 102 as the automobile traversed the second path of travel.The second path of travel was utilized by automobile 102 on a lap otherthan the lap associated with the first path of travel. Therefore, somegeolocations and other vehicle parameters may coincide with thoseassociated with the first path of travel. The first path of travel andthe second path of travel are two of many possible paths of travel fortraversing one or more segments of the racetrack 104. The second path oftravel is also stored in memory device 306 such that it may be retrievedand analyzed by processing element 304, as discussed below.

In Step 404, the processing element 304 analyzes the layout of theracetrack 104 and the first and second paths of travel to assess theperformance of the driver. For instance, the processing element 304 mayplot the two (and possibly additional) paths of travel onto theracetrack 104 to determine whether the driver maneuvered the automobile102 through the racetrack 104 along an optimal path at optimal speeds toreduce the total duration of time required to complete a lap of theracetrack 104. The processing element 304 may plot the first and secondpaths of travel onto the racetrack 104 based on an analysis of thegeolocation data, the video data, the sensor data, and the motion data,or any combination thereof.

The memory device 306 may store cartographic information, includinggeographic locations, for racetrack 104. In embodiments, the racingcoach device 100 may download the cartographic information from a remoteserver or secondary electronic device 322. The processing element 304may determine geolocations associated with and construct a shape for theracetrack 104 based on the geolocation data, the video data, the sensordata, and the motion data, or any combination thereof. The processingelement 304 may determine a centerline along the racetrack 104, whichwill begin and end at the finish line of the racetrack 104, based on thelocation determining component 308 and lateral position informationdetermined using footage generated by the camera 312. The geolocationdata may include a geolocation, a heading, and a velocity (speed) of theautomobile 102. The processing element 304 may determine the lateralposition information based on an analysis of the video data generated bythe camera 312. The determined lateral position may be given a numericalvalue, such as a zero associated with the left-most edge of theracetrack 104, a one associated with the right-most edge of theracetrack 104, and intermediate lateral positions having a value betweenzero and one. In embodiments, the processing element 304 may determinethe centerline of the racetrack 104 based on cartographic informationstored in memory device 306 associated with racetrack 104, which mayinclude information such as a geographic location of a start/finishline, a width of the racetrack 104, a geolocation of a pit lane, ageolocation of a garage (pit) area, information associated with eachturn of the racetrack 104, and other information about the racetrack104.

The constructed shape of the racetrack 104 may be utilized to providethe various analysis functionality described herein. For example, theconstructed shape can be used to identify validly recorded data (e.g.,locations on the racetrack 104 as opposed to nearby locations, such aslocations in a parking lot or pit area) and select valid data foranalysis. Additionally or alternatively, the constructed shape of theracetrack 104 may be used to display the racetrack 104 and associateddata to the user without requiring the use of a precompiled database ofracetrack information. For instance, the track shapes illustrated inFIGS. 11A, 11B, and 11D may be generated using the constructed shape ofthe racetrack 104.

The user may utilize the device 100 at any racetrack, including thosenever before driven or mapped, and the device 100 may construct theshape of the racetrack 104 as, or after, the user completes a lap and/orsegment, to assist in racing analysis. The user is therefore not limitedto racing at a set of predefined racetracks. Additionally, in the eventthe configuration of the racetrack 104 changes, the constructed shape ofthe racetrack 104 may be dynamically updated by the device 100 to ensurethat the user is provided accurate and up-to-date information. Theconstructed shape of the racetrack 104 may be stored within the memory306 and/or distributed to remote servers, the secondary electronicdevice 322, and/or other users of similarly equipped devices 100.Additionally, the constructed shape of the racetrack 104 may be bundledwith other information, such as the racing metrics described herein, togenerate a complete dataset of information for the racetrack 104. Thebundled dataset may be distributed in combination with other datasets togenerate a global database of racetrack information.

In Step 406, the processing element 304 will determine an optimal pathof travel for the automobile 102 that can be utilized by the driverbased upon a plurality of stored paths of travel along racetrack 104. Asdiscussed above, it is to be understood that a path of travel may be alap of racetrack 104 or a segment thereof (e.g., a corner 106 ofracetrack 104, portions of racetrack 104 separated by a predetermineddistance, such as 5 feet or 50 feet, etc.).

An exemplary method of determining the optimal path of travel for theautomobile 102 to travel for a full lap of racetrack 104 is shown inFIGS. 6A-6C via an acyclic graph. A timeline 600 for three laps isprovided to illustrate performance at a plurality of geolocations alongthe racetrack 104. Although the three laps are labeled Lap 1, Lap 2, andLap 3, it is to be understood the techniques disclosed herein apply toany three laps stored in the memory device 306 regardless of their orderor source (e.g., data generated by racing coach device 100, datadownloaded from a remote server, etc.). Processing element 304 maydetermine an optimal path of travel using data associated with two ormore laps completed of racetrack 104 by the driver in automobile 102.For instance, any two non-sequential laps may be analyzed and used bythe processing element 304 to determine the optimal path of travel ateach of the plurality of geolocations of racetrack 104, which maycorrespond to any portion of the racetrack 104. For instance, theprocessing element 304 may determine an optimal path of travelassociated with each of the corner 106, an approach to the corner 106,the entry 200, the apex 202, and the exit 204 of corner 106, andsubsequently determine and refine the optimal path of travel asadditional paths of travel 600 become available to the processingelement 304 on a continuous (on-going) basis.

The processor is configured to identify, for each of a plurality ofgeolocations between the start/finish line 602 (associated with lapcompletion points of 0% and 100%), one of the first path of travel, thesecond path of travel, or the third path of travel that is associatedwith a shorter duration of time over which the driver traversed asegment of the respective path of travel associated with each of theplurality of geolocations. The processing element 304 identifies aplurality of segments (associated with determination points 604 shown inFIG. 6B) associated with a plurality of geolocations along the racetrack104 to be analyzed. The processing element 304 is further configured todetermine, at each of the plurality of geolocations, an optimal path oftravel 610 along the racetrack 104 based on the identified first,second, and third paths of travel for each segment of the respectivepath of travel that, when combined, results in a calculated lap time totravel around the racetrack 104 that is less than a first time periodover which the automobile 102 completed a lap of racetrack 104 along thefirst path of travel, a second time period over which the automobile 102completed a separate lap of racetrack 104 along the second path oftravel, or a third time period over which the automobile 102 completed alap of racetrack 104 along the third path of travel, as shown in FIG.6C.

Returning to FIG. 6B, the processing element 304 may identify aplurality of geographic locations, referred to as a set of determinationpoints 604, at which processing element 304 selects one of the first,second or third paths of travel for a segment of the racetrack 104associated with each of the plurality of geographic locations. Forexample, one of the plurality of determination points 604 may be ageographic location at a midpoint of (halfway through) the racetrack104. The processing element 304 may then identify a performanceimprovement event 606 associated with a determination of one path oftravel resulting in a reduction of time to traverse (drive through) thesegment and the total lap time resulting from all segments of theracetrack 104 compared to other paths of travel (by taking into accountthe impact of all performance improvement events 606 at the plurality ofgeolocations along racetrack 104). For instance, if the processingelement 304 determines that the second path of travel associated with asegment at the midpoint of the racetrack 104 is faster (results in ashorter duration of time for automobile 102 to travel the segment andthe total lap time) than the first and third paths of travel for thesegment, the processing element 304 will identify a performanceimprovement event 606 in favor of the second path of travel at themidpoint of the racetrack 104. In other words, each segment of each pathof travel is compared at a plurality of geolocations along racetrack104, which are associated with determination points 604, to determinewhich combination of the stored paths of travel would result in areduction of the time required to traverse that segment of racetrack 104and/or the total lap time resulting from all segments of the racetrack104. A plurality of performance improvement events 606 identified by theprocessing element 304 at determination points 604 are shown withdirectional arrows in FIGS. 6B and 6C indicative of the performanceimprovements that may be communicated to the driver for use withimproving the driver's performance for purposes of illustration. Thus,processing element 304 may account for adjacent (segments in front ofand behind a current segment along the racetrack 104) and other segmentsof racetrack 104.

It should also be appreciated that when three or more paths of travel,are evaluated by the processing element 304, each path of travel iscompared with each of the other paths of travel. Thus, as illustrated,one of the plurality of determination points 604 may include aperformance improvement event 606 from the path of travel from Lap 3 tothe path of travel from Lap 1.

As shown in FIG. 6C, the processing element 304 may identify a set ofperformance improvement points 608, which are associated withdetermination points 604, that may be utilized to form an optimal pathof travel 610. The performance improvement points 608 may be associatedwith two or more of the paths of travel. The optimal path of travel 610is determined by following possible routes through the paths of traveland the performance improvement events 606. Numerous factors areconsidered in determining performance improvement events, 606 includingbut not limited to, lateral position, speed, acceleration (ordeceleration), heading, and altitude, at each respective geolocation.For each factor, such as lateral position, speed, acceleration (ordeceleration), heading, altitude, the processing element 304 may utilizea positive, a negative or an absolute threshold.

Unlike conventional routing algorithms for road and other navigationaluses, the techniques disclosed herein utilize paths of travel forsegments of a single roadway (racetrack 104) that have been driven bythe racer or another user. In embodiments, processing element 304determines the optimal path of travel 610 based on a plurality ofcomplete optimal paths of travel 610 and selecting one optimal path oftravel 610 that results in the shortest duration over which a lap of theracetrack 104 may be completed (based on the paths of travel taken bythe user). In order to identify and select the fastest path of travelamongst the possible permutations, the processing element 304 may sortthe permutations topologically. Topological sorting allows for in-degreeand out-degree values for the respective nodes. Topological sorting alsoallows for interchanging between the respective paths of travel. Tables(e.g., arrays and/or lists) may be generated for the nodes and edges. Asan example, edges may be stored in an edge table which contains a startand end as well as a weight. Nodes may be stored in a forward star tableand/or a reverse star table. A trace table may contain pointers to theedge table as accessed from the forward and/or revers star table. Thesetables create an efficient method of determining incoming and outgoingedges from a node, without requiring redundant data storage. For edgesleaving a node, the processing element 304 may move from the forwardstar table to the edge table. For edges coming into a node, theprocessing element 304 may move from the reverse star table to the tracetable and then to the edge table. The processing element 304 maydetermine the fastest path of travel from each node to other nodes thatthe node is connected to and select the fastest path of travel.

In embodiments, the processing element 304 may identify determinationpoints 604 at geolocations 110 along racetrack 104 associated withsimilar vehicle parameters (e.g., lateral position, acceleration (ordeceleration), heading, speed, altitude etc.). The processing element304 may then identify sub-sets of the respective paths before and afterthe determination point 604. As an example, a first-subset of the firstpath of travel is before the determination point 604 and a second-subsetof the first path of travel is after the determination point 604. Tocontinue the example, a first-subset of the second path of travel isbefore the determination point 604 and a second-subset of the secondpath of travel is after the determination point 604. The optimized pathof travel 610 includes, for example, the first-subset of the first pathof travel and the second-subset of the second path of travel. Thus, theoptimal path of travel 610 is determined for the specific driver,utilizing the sub-sets of the paths of travel actually traveled by thedriver, not a hypothetical optimal path for any driver. Thedriver-specific optimal path of travel 610 will account for drivingstyle and skill level for the specific driver. Thus, the driver may beprovided with meaningful and applicable advice to improve theirperformance, instead of generic and inapplicable recommendations. Thus,the optimal path of travel 610 is continuously calculated by theprocessing element 304 and will improve (result in lower lap times) asthe driver improves his performance.

In the example of FIGS. 6B and 6C, the optimal path of travel 610 isdetermined for a lap beginning and ending at start/finish line 602.Specifically, the driver's performance along initial segments of thethird path of travel on Lap 3 is determined by processing element 304 tobe optimal through the first two determination points 604. At the thirddetermination point 604, it is determined by processing element 304 thatthe driver's performance along the associated segment of the first pathof travel on Lap 1 is determined to be optimal and preferred over thedriver's performance along the corresponding segment third path oftravel on Lap 3. Thus, the optimal path of travel 610 incorporates thefirst path of travel on Lap 1 for segments after the driver'sperformance for the initial segments along the third path of travel onLap 3 after the third determination point 604 based at least in part onthe performance improvement event 606. At the fourth determination point604, the processing element 304 determines that the driver's performanceat the associated segment along the second path of travel on Lap 2 ispreferred over the performance along the corresponding segment of thefirst path of travel on Lap 1. Thus, the optimal path of travel 610incorporates the performance along Lap 2 for segments into theperformance along Lap 1 after the determination point 604. At the fifthand sixth determination points 604, the processing element 304determines that continuing with segments of the second path of travelalong Lap 2 is preferred over corresponding performance for the segmentson Lap 1 or Lap 3, even though the performance improvement event 606 mayinfluence incorporation of the path of travel for this segment from Lap3. This is in part due to the processing element 304 consideringmultiple factors in determining which segments of each path of travel toincorporate into the optimal path of travel 610. At the seventhdetermination point 604, the optimal path of travel 610 incorporates thesegment of the first path of travel from Lap 1. It should be appreciatedthat this exemplary optimal path of travel 610 determination depicted inFIG. 6C is intended to clarify concepts performed by the processingelement 304 in determining the optimal path of travel 610. Otherinstances will utilize more or fewer paths of travel, more or fewerdetermination points 604, and more or fewer performance improvementevents 606. Ultimately, the optimal path of travel 610 is shorter induration (faster) than Laps 1 to 3.

The processing element 304 may refine the determined optimal path oftravel 610 as additional laps of the racetrack 104 are completed. Thisrefining process may include adjusting the time values from the mixeddata of the multiple paths of travel. Time data may be consolidated fromthe multiple paths of travel to determine an optimal path of travel 610time that the driver could accomplish if traveling along the optimalpath of travel 610 at optimal speeds. The optimal path of travel 610 mayalso be refined to smooth sharp changes in direction that may otherwisebe recommended by the processing element 304. For example, if upon thefirst path of travel the driver had a first heading and upon the secondpath of travel the driver had a second heading, when the optimal path oftravel 610 recommends an interchange between the first path of traveland the second path of travel, the optimal path of travel 610 may blendor gradually change the recommended heading between the first headingand the second heading. This smoothening is beneficial because thedriver cannot instantly change headings at the determination points 604.Thus, the processing element 304 may determine and recommend an optimalpath of travel 610 containing gradual changes in heading such that theoptimal path of travel 610 may be performed by the driver on racetrack104.

In some embodiments, an average lap time may be determined in additionto the driver-specific optimal path of travel 610. An average lap timeis an averaging together of the laps completed by the driver during asession (or during all sessions of the combination of driver, automobile102, and racetrack 104). The average lap time may be calculated bytaking a mean and/or median of the various lap data gathered. An averagelap time may give a readily comparable example to contrast with theoptimal path of travel 610. Instead of the driver comparing each ofnumerous previous laps against the optimal path of travel 610, thedriver may compare the average lap against the optimal path of travel610. The average lap time may also be utilized to compare a certain lapto the average lap time, such as to emphasize improvements that weremade on a new lap in comparison to the older average lap time.

In Step 408, the processing element 304 analyzes performance of theautomobile 102 in real time to assist the driver in performing closer tothe above-determined optimal path of travel 610. As shown in FIG. 7 , aturn analyzer may be utilized in real time to identify turns andstraight portions of racetrack 104. The turn analyzer may analyze theturn segments. In some embodiments, the turn analyzer may be a segmentfinite state machine. The turn analyzer perform s this function whilethe automobile 102 is being driven on the racetrack 104. The processingelement 304 may or may not have information about the layout ofracetrack 104 (e.g., locations and shapes of the various corners), thusthe turn analyzer is determining when the automobile 102 is turning andwhen the automobile 102 is traveling straight, based upon a determinedheading and other criteria.

The turn analyzer has four possible states: a possible turn, verifyingturn, in-turn, and not-in-turn. Because the processing element 304 willknow the geographic location of the midpoint of the turn, the turnanalyzer can determine whether the driver performed an early apex, alate apex, or a correct apex (being within a certain threshold distanceof the midpoint) in real time and provide that feedback to the driver(such as via the audio recommendations). The turn analyzer may alsoidentify braking points and acceleration points. In some embodiments,these points are identified by monitoring acceleration via the locationdetermining component 308 and/or the motion sensors 320. The processingelement 304 and/or the location determining component 308 will determinewhen acceleration and/or deceleration are above a certain threshold. Theacceleration points and deceleration points may then be compared to theabove-discussed determined maximum heading rate of change. In manyinstances, the automobile 102 will decelerate (apply brakes) before aturn and accelerate out of a turn. The turn analyzer may thus determinewhen these activities happened relative to the determined turn.

In Step 410, the processing element 304 controls display 302 andheadset/speaker 314 to present or provide audible feedback to utilizethe optimal path of travel 610. An audio coach provides recommendationsand feedback to the driver before and/or after the specific maneuver.Audible recommendations provided before the turn may be known as advancerecommendations. Advance recommendations provided as the driverapproaches a maneuver may instruct the driver when to perform variousmaneuvers (such as braking, turning, and accelerating). Examples ofadvance recommendations may be “apply the brake now” and “turn-in pointin 3, 2, 1, now.” Other examples may include “use more track,” “brakeharder,” “accelerate more,” and “carry more speed” in relation to theoptimal, previous or average lap. Audible recommendations after themaneuver may be known as feedback recommendations. Feedbackrecommendations may be positive or negative. For instance, feedbackrecommendations may instruct the driver how to better perform the sameturn in future laps. A positive feedback recommendation reinforcesmaneuvers that the driver performed well. Examples of positive feedbackrecommendations may include “nice use of track,” “nice braking,” “niceacceleration,” and “nice job carrying speed.” Negative feedbackrecommendations emphasize maneuvers that the driver performed poorly.

The audible recommendations may be based upon a comparison of thecurrent lap to a prior lap, such as the above-discussed optimal path oftravel 610, the above-discussed average lap, and/or the above-discussedapex point. For example, a negative feedback recommendation may beprovided if the driver performed worse than their average lap. Positivefeedback recommendations may be provided if the driver performed neartheir optimal path of travel 610 or a prior optimal path of travel 610(and thereby creating a new optimal path of travel 610). Advancerecommendations may be provided where the average lap differssignificantly from the optimal path of travel 610. In embodiments, theprocessing element 304 may identify segments at which the driver'saverage time is most divergent from (losing the most time compared to)the optimal lap of travel 610 and provide recommendations associatedwith the identified segments.

The audible coach tracks the results of the turn analysis discussedabove and determines what recommendations (e.g., what phrases to speak)to make and when to make them. The audible coach may prioritize certainrecommendations so as to not overload the driver with too muchinformation, allowing the driver to focus when a lower priorityrecommendation could be made. The prioritization may be based upon thedifference between an average lap and the optimal path of travel 610.Some recommendations may be blocked or delayed if the recommendationwould overlap with another recommendation of a higher priority. The timerequired to deliver the recommendations may be considered in determiningwhich recommendations to deliver and when to deliver suchrecommendations. For example, a recommendation to be given may bedelivered immediately or upon some scheduled time or event in the future(such as upon arriving at a calculated turn-in point for a certainturn).

The prioritization may be based upon the type of recommendations to begiven. The driver may select what type of recommendations the driverwould like to receive during the race. In these instances, that type ofrecommendation may be given the highest priority. In some instances, theadvance recommendations may be prioritized higher than positive feedbackrecommendations, which may also be higher than negative feedbackrecommendations. Thus, a standard priority chain may be user-requested,then advance recommendations, then positive feedback, then negativefeedback. This example prioritization list emphasizes steps to increaseand praise performance more than criticizing past performance. In thisway, the driver is encouraged to build upon past successes rather thancriticized over past failures. It should be appreciated that otherprioritization schemes may also be utilized.

The audible coach may include a text-to-speech algorithm for turning thetextual recommendation into an audible recommendation that will beplayed by the racing coach device 100. For example, the audiblerecommendation may be played by the internal speaker 314 of the racingcoach device 100, by an audio system of the automobile 102, by a headsetworn by the driver, by a stand-alone speaker, or by another device. Theprocessing element 304 is further configured to control the speaker 314to output the instructions enabling a driver to traverse the racetrack104 through the optimal path of travel based on the determined currentlocation.

In Step 412, the processing element 304 splices video data to create anoptimal path video comprising video data of a first-subset of a firstpath of travel and a second-subset of a second path of travel. In Step414, the processing element 304 may display the spliced video of theoptimal path of travel 610 to the driver such that the driver canvisualize traveling through the optimal path of travel 610.

The camera 312 (and the external camera 326) is configured to collectimages of the road forming the racetrack 104 in a field of view 112 andthe memory device 306 is configured to store a plurality of imagesreceived from the camera 312. The processing element 304 iscommunicatively coupled with the camera 312 and the memory device 306.The camera 312 may be oriented to capture footage of a field of viewproximate to the automobile 102 from the automobile 102. The processingelement 304 may analyze the images received from the camera 312 andapply image processing (object recognition) techniques to determine acurrent lateral position of the automobile 102 along the racetrack 104.For example, the processing element 304 may determine a lateralautomobile 102 position within a width of the racetrack 104. Theprocessing element 304 may store the determined lateral position of theautomobile 102 in memory device 306, which may also store motion datareceived from the motion sensor and geographic location informationreceived from the location determining component 308. The processingelement 304 may utilize the stored information to determine a completepath along the racetrack 104 (i.e., driving line or racing line) alongwhich the driver drove the automobile 102.

The processing element 304 may utilize the determined path and theplurality of images received from the camera 312 (or external camera326) to identify an entry 200, an apex 202, and an exit 204 of each turnalong the racetrack 104. Subsequently, the processing element 304 maydetermine whether the automobile 102 traveled through a turn along theideal path and at ideal speeds (e.g., entry speed, apex speed, exitspeed, etc.) to identify aspects of the driver's performance that may beimproved. In embodiments, the processing element 304 may utilize thegeographic location information received from the location determiningcomponent 308 as well as the motion data received from the motion sensor(e.g., deceleration associated with automobile 102 braking, accelerationassociated with automobile 102 acceleration, lateral movement associatedwith automobile 102 turning, etc.) to determine whether the automobile102 traveled through a turn along the ideal path and at ideal speeds toidentify aspects of the driver's performance that may be improved. Forexample, the processing element 304 may utilize the motion data todetermine whether at which geographic location along the racetrack 104the automobile 102 accelerated relative to the apex (e.g., early turnexit acceleration, late turn exit acceleration, etc.).

Graphical User Interfaces

Various exemplary user interfaces are shown in FIGS. 8A-C, 9A-B, 10A-B,and 11A-D. It is to be understood that any information presented may beon the display 302 of the racing coach device 100, on a display ofanother computer system, on a heads-up display in the automobile 102, ona head-mounted display worn by the driver, on a mobile device (e.g.,tablet or smart phone), or on another display. It is also to beunderstood that some information may be shown on the racing coach device100 while other information is shown on another device.

In some embodiments of the invention, the user interface generallyallows the user to utilize inputs and outputs to interact with theracing coach device 100. Inputs may include buttons, pushbuttons, knobs,jog dials, shuttle dials, directional pads, multidirectional buttons,switches, keypads, keyboards, mice, joysticks, microphones,touchscreens, or the like, or combinations thereof. Outputs may includelights, dials, meters, or the like, or combinations thereof. With theuser interface, the user may be able to control the features andoperation of the display 302. Additional user feedback and output may beprovided via the speaker 314 or other audible devices. In otherembodiments, the user interface does not allow the user to utilizeinputs and outputs at certain times, such as during a race.

As shown in FIG. 8A, an introductory display may be shown to the driver.The introductory display allows the driver to select a driver profileand a vehicle profile. As discussed above, embodiments of the inventiondetermine and instruct the driver towards a driver-specific optimal pathof travel 610. Thus, the driver profile and the vehicle profile allowthe system to differentiate the driver from other drivers. This canaccount for the driving style and skill level of the specific driver.This can also account for the vehicle specific characteristics, such asthe acceleration and handling capabilities of the specific type ofvehicle. The driver profile may be previously existing or may be set upby the driver before the race begins. The driver may input variousinformation about themselves to set up the driver profile. The driverprofile may include a nickname (as an example, “FLASH” shown in FIG. 8A)and a profile picture. The vehicle profile may be previously existing ormay be set up by the driver before the race begins. The vehicle profilemay include specific information about the automobile 102, such as amake, model and year (as an example, “FORD GT40 1966” shown in FIG. 8A).The driver may also input other information about the automobile 102,such as the weight and the tires. The vehicle profile may also include aprofile picture, which may be generic, default for that type of vehicle,or a photograph input by the user. When the user has selected and/orcreated the respective driver profile and vehicle profile, the driverwill select “DONE” to move on.

As shown in FIG. 8B, a main menu display may be shown to the driver. Themain menu display allows two primary functions. First, the user canselect to begin a session on the racetrack 104, which may include one ormore laps. Upon this selection, the driver may be directed to a sessionintroduction display, as in FIG. 8C discussed below. Second, the usercan select to review one or more previous sessions. Upon this selection,the driver may be directed to a session review display, as in FIG. 11Adiscussed below. Also shown on the main menu display may be locationinformation from the location determining component 308, weatherinformation from the communication element 310. The user may also beable to select various nearby racetracks 104 for an upcoming session.

As shown in FIG. 8C, upon the user selecting to drive a new session, asession introduction display may be shown to the driver. The sessionintroduction display may include information related to the currentracetrack 104 (such as the closest racetrack 104 as indicated by thelocation determining component 308, or the one selected by the driver inthe main menu display). If available, other information related to thecurrent driver profile, the current vehicle profile, and the currentracetrack 104 profile may be displayed. For example, as shown in FIG.8C, this information can include a best lap time for this combination ofdriver, automobile 102, and racetrack 104. As another example, as shownin FIG. 8C, this information can be a top speed for this combination ofdriver, automobile 102, and racetrack 104.

On the session introduction display, as shown in FIG. 8C, the user ispresented with an option to have a race coach on. This option may beonly presented if previous information for the combination of driver,automobile 102, and racetrack 104 is available (upon which adriver-specific optimal path of travel 610 may be calculated). In otherembodiments, the user may select to have the racing coach on despite noprevious combination recordings, such that racing coach instructionswill be provided upon an optimal path of travel 610 being calculatedbased upon two or more laps being completed by the driver. The racecoach will instruct the driver (audibly and/or visually) how toaccomplish the driver-specific optimal path of travel 610, as discussedabove. The user may also be presented with options regarding the racecoach. For example, the user may select race coach instructions for onlya certain portion of the racetrack 104 (such as a specific corner 106 onwhich the driver is trying to improve). As another example, the user mayselect to have only a certain type of race coach instructions provided(such as turn-in points, braking points, or other instructions). Asstill another example, the user may select to have non-race coachinstructions provided (such as lap times and/or other objectiveinformation). As yet another example, the user may select to have noinstructions or information provided during the race.

As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, if the user selects to check alignment onthe session introduction display, the driver will be invited to alignthe video camera 312 relative to the automobile 102. A current view ofthe video camera 312 is shown on the display 302, such that the drivercan check the alignment. The video camera 312 is oriented generallyforward, as shown in FIG. 1 , so as to have a field of view that coversthe racetrack 104. The video camera 312 is positioned and oriented suchthat the processing element 304 to determine the position of theautomobile 102 relative to the edges of the racetrack 104. In someembodiments, the video camera 312 may be independently movable relativeto the housing 300 of the racing coach device 100. In other embodiments,the video camera 312 is positioned and oriented by positioning andorienting the racing coach device 100 itself. In still otherembodiments, the video camera 312 may be independently mounted to theautomobile 102 independent of the racing coach device 100. For example,the video camera 312 may be an integrated component of the automobile102, which sends video to the racing coach device 100 for theabove-discussed steps. In FIG. 9A, the user levels the video camera 312by pivoting or tilting the racing coach device 100 (or independent videocamera 312) such that a displayed artificial horizon agrees with a levelindication from an internal level sensor in the racing coach device 100(or independent video camera 312). In FIG. 9B, the driver centers thefield of view of the camera 312 with the center of a hood of theautomobile 102 (or other reference point) and ensures that a clear viewof the racetrack 104 is visible to the video camera 312. The driver mayadjust the orientation and/or position of the video camera 312 to ensurethe clear view of the racetrack 104. Alignment also aids in the splicingtogether of multiple video feeds to complete the spliced video of theoptimal path of travel 610, as discussed above.

As shown in FIG. 10A, when the driver selects to begin the race, thedisplay 302 will show a pre-race display. The pre-race display isindicative that the racing coach device 100 is ready to begin upon thedriver crossing a starting line of the racetrack 104. The starting linemay be known to the racing coach device 100 based upon the racetrack 104information previously loaded and/or selected by the driver. Thus, theracing coach device 100 may begin tracking information about the race,such as the above-discussed set of prior statuses, automatically uponthe driver crossing a starting line of the racetrack 104.

As shown in FIG. 10B, when the driver crosses the starting line, themid-race display is shown. The mid-race display may include displaycharacteristics of the current race, for quick reference by the driver.The display characteristics may include, as a first example, a last laptime of the last completed lap. As a second example, the displaycharacteristics may include a best lap time indicative of the best timefor completing a lap by the driver (which may be a best lap time for thecurrent race or a best-ever lap time for that combination of driver,automobile 102, and racetrack 104). As a third example, the displayinformation may include a “delta” which is a change (difference) in thelap time from a best lap time or a previous lap to the current lap(including a negative sign for faster and a positive sign for slower).As a fourth example, the display information may include a total timefor the race and/or a lap number indication. This display informationmay be customizable for the driver based upon the information that thedriver selects to see (and laid out in a format per the user input).

As shown in FIG. 11A, a session review display is shown on the display302. The session review display includes information about a previoussession (such as a race or set of laps completed by the driver). Thesession review display may include various information about theprevious session. Various example information is shown in FIG. 11A. Thesession review display may include information about a fastest lap(e.g., a lowest lap time from the set of laps of the session), a totaltime, a top speed, an average speed, a top three average lap time, topfive average lap time, and a statistical measure of the driver'sconsistency during this and other sessions. Further, a video of thesession may be displayed and/or provided as an option for the user toselect. This allows the user to watch all or a portion of the session aspart of the review.

The session review display may also include a map of the racetrack 104.The map of the racetrack 104 may be broken into segments based upon thedetermined corners 106 of the racetrack 104 (or other segments). Thesesegments, as discussed above, may be determined by the processingelement or set for the racetrack 104. As shown in FIG. 11A, segments inwhich the processing element 304 has identified opportunities forimprovement may be highlighted or otherwise emphasized on the sessionreview display. The emphasis is displayed to the driver such that thedriver may select and review the opportunity for that individual segmentand make the recommended changes in subsequent sessions.

As shown in FIG. 11B, an opportunity display is shown on the display302. The driver may enter the opportunity display by selecting the“opportunities” button on the session review display. Additionally oralternatively, the driver may select the specific opportunity from themap of the racetrack 104 displayed on the session review display. Theopportunity display includes a segment view which includes an indicationof the actual performance on that lap along with a depiction of thecorresponding segment of the driver-specific optimal path of travel 610which was calculated (as discussed above) to optimize the driver throughthat segment. Two simultaneous vehicle indicators may move along thesegment to demonstrate to the driver how the optimal path of travel 610differs from the user-performed lap. An overview of the opportunity mayalso include other information, such as a traversing time under theoptimal path of travel 610 and the user-performed prior lap.Additionally or alternatively, the opportunity display may include atextual summary of the opportunity or other recommendation.

The opportunity display may present to the user an option to add therecommendation to the audible and/or visible coaching recommendations tobe delivered to the driver during subsequent iterations of the segment.In other embodiments, the recommendations may be added to the audibleand/or visible coaching recommendations automatically by default and theuser may be presented with an option to remove them from the audibleand/or visible coaching recommendations.

The opportunity display may include an entry page, an apex page, and/oran exit page. The entry page, apex page, and/or exit page provide morespecific information regarding those specific aspects of the turn. Asdiscussed above in reference to FIG. 2 , the turn-in points 206, 212,and 218 affect the performance of the turn through the apexes 208, 214,and 220; and affect the performance to the exit 210, 216, and 222. Thus,these specific pages may provide an analysis of and recommendations forthe various aspects of the turn to reduce the time taken in traversingthe corner 106.

As shown in FIG. 11C, a lap overview display may be shown on the display302. The lap overview may include time information for the multiple lapsthat were completed during the session, such that the user may comparethese lap and segment times. As shown in FIG. 11D, a segment overviewdisplay may be shown on the display 302. The segment overview mayinclude time information for one or more iterations of the segment bythe driver, as well as an optimal lap time based upon the calculatedoptimal lap discussed above. The user may also be presented with acombined video showing the traversing of the optimal path of travel 610,which is created by splicing various clips from the multiple segmentvideos that were captured by the video camera 312. This allow the userto see what the optimal path of travel 610 would look like if performedby the driver. Thus, the driver can visualize when and how to performthe optimal path of travel 610.

Although the technology has been described with reference to theembodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is notedthat equivalents may be employed, and substitutions made herein withoutdeparting from the scope of the technology as recited in the claims.

Having thus described various embodiments of the technology, what isclaimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includesthe following:

What is claimed is:
 1. A racing coach device comprising: a memory deviceconfigured to store data representative of a first path of travel alonga racetrack over a first time period and data representative of a secondpath of travel along the racetrack over a second time period, each ofthe first path of travel and the second path of travel formed of aplurality of segments along the racetrack; an output device; aprocessing element coupled with the memory device and the output device,the processing element configured to: identify, for each of a pluralityof geolocations along the racetrack, a duration of time over which acorresponding segment of the first path of travel and a correspondingsegment of the second path of travel traversed a respective geolocation,determine a determination point indicative of similar geolocation andsimilar velocity between the first path of travel and the second path oftravel, wherein a first-subset of the first path of travel is before thedetermination point and a second-subset of the first path of travel isafter the determination point, and wherein a first-subset of the secondpath of travel is before the determination point and a second-subset ofthe second path of travel is after the determination point, determine anoptimal path of travel along the racetrack by calculating a lap time totraverse the racetrack based on the identified duration of timeassociated with each segment of the first path of travel and theidentified duration of time associated with each segment of the secondpath of travel at each of the plurality of geolocations along theracetrack, the calculated lap time to traverse the racetrack along theoptimal path of travel being less than the first time period and thesecond time period, the optimal path of travel including thefirst-subset of the first path of travel and the second-subset of thesecond path of travel, and control the output device to provide feedbackbased on the determined optimal path of travel.
 2. The racing coachdevice of claim 1, wherein the output device is a display device,wherein the display device is configured to present a graphical image ofthe racetrack, and wherein the display device is configured to present agraphical image of the first path of travel and the optimal path oftravel on the graphical image of the racetrack.
 3. The racing coachdevice of claim 1, further comprising a location determining componentconfigured to receive a location signal and determine a currentgeolocation of the racing coach device using the location signal.
 4. Theracing coach device of claim 3, wherein the first path of travel alongthe racetrack corresponds to determined geolocations of the racing coachdevice over the first time period, and wherein the second path of travelalong the racetrack corresponds to determined geolocations of the racingcoach device over the second time period.
 5. The racing coach device ofclaim 3, wherein the output device is a speaker configured to outputaudible instructions, wherein the processing element is furtherconfigured to control the speaker to output the audible instructionsenabling a user to traverse the racetrack through the optimal path oftravel based on the determined location.
 6. The racing coach device ofclaim 5, wherein the racing coach device is configured to be utilizedwithin an automobile.
 7. The racing coach device of claim 6, wherein theprocessing element is further configured to: receive, from the locationdetermining component, a heading of the automobile, and determine thatthe automobile is currently turning based at least in part on a rate ofchange of heading; wherein the audible instructions are based at leastin part on the turning of the automobile.
 8. The racing coach device ofclaim 1, further comprising: a motion sensor, wherein the processingelement is further configured to: determine that an automobile iscurrently turning based at least in part on a rate of change of headingindicated by the motion sensor, and wherein the output device providesfeedback based on the optimal path and the turning of the automobile inreal time.
 9. The racing coach device of claim 1, wherein the memorydevice is further configured to store a distance corresponding to eachsegment of the first path of travel and the second path of travel. 10.The racing coach device of claim 1, wherein the processing element isfurther configured to determine one or more determination pointsassociated with a similar geolocation between the first path of traveland the second path of travel and blend the start and finish of eachsegment of the determined optimal path of travel at the one or moredetermination points to account for differences in a velocity of anautomobile at each segment of the first path of travel and the secondpath of travel.
 11. A racing coach device comprising: a memory deviceconfigured to store data representative of a first path of travel alonga racetrack over a first time period and data representative of a secondpath of travel along the racetrack over a second time period, each ofthe first path of travel and the second path of travel formed of aplurality of segments along the racetrack; a location determiningcomponent configured to determine a current geolocation of the racingcoach device; a speaker configured to provide an audible instruction toa driver; a processing element coupled with the memory device, thelocation determining component, and the speaker, the processing elementconfigured to: identify, for each of a plurality of geolocations alongthe racetrack, a duration of time over which a corresponding segment ofthe first path of travel and a corresponding segment of the second pathof travel traversed a respective geolocation, determine a determinationpoint indicative of similar geolocation and similar velocity between thefirst path of travel and the second path of travel, wherein afirst-subset of the first path of travel is before the determinationpoint and a second-subset of the first path of travel is after thedetermination point, and wherein a first-subset of the second path oftravel is before the determination point and a second-subset of thesecond path of travel is after the determination point, determine anoptimal path of travel along the racetrack by calculating a lap time totraverse the racetrack based on the identified duration of timeassociated with each segment of the first path of travel and theidentified duration of time associated with each segment of the secondpath of travel at each of the plurality of geolocations along theracetrack, the calculated lap time to traverse the racetrack along theoptimal path of travel being less than the first time period and thesecond time period, the optimal path of travel including thefirst-subset of the first path of travel and the second-subset of thesecond path of travel, and control the speaker to provide the audibleinstruction to the driver based on the determined optimal path oftravel.
 12. The racing coach device of claim 11, further comprising: adisplay device configured to present a graphical image of the racetrack,wherein the display device is configured to present a graphical image ofthe first path of travel and the optimal path of travel on the graphicalimage of the racetrack.
 13. The racing coach device of claim 11, whereinthe first path of travel along the racetrack corresponds to determinedgeolocations of the racing coach device over the first time period, andwherein the second path of travel along the racetrack corresponds todetermined geolocations of the racing coach device over the second timeperiod.
 14. The racing coach device of claim 13, wherein the audibleinstructions output by the speaker enable a user to traverse theracetrack along the optimal path of travel based on the determinedcurrent geolocation.
 15. The racing coach device of claim 14, furthercomprising a motion sensor, wherein the racing coach device isconfigured to be utilized within an automobile, wherein the processingelement is further configured to determine that the automobile iscurrently turning based at least in part on a rate of change of headingindicated by the motion sensor, and wherein the audible instructions arebased on the optimal path of travel and the determined turning of theautomobile in real time.
 16. The racing coach device of claim 11,wherein the memory device is further configured to store a distancecorresponding to each segment of the first path of travel and the secondpath of travel.
 17. The racing coach device of claim 11, wherein theprocessing element is further configured to determine one or moredetermination points associated with a similar geolocation between thefirst path of travel and the second path of travel and blend the startand finish of each segment of the determined optimal path of travel atthe one or more determination points to account for differences in avelocity of an automobile at each segment of the first path of traveland the second path of travel.
 18. A racing coach device comprising: amemory device configured to store data representative of a first path oftravel along a racetrack over a first time period and datarepresentative of a second path of travel along the racetrack over asecond time period, each of the first path of travel and the second pathof travel formed of a plurality of segments along the racetrack; a videocamera configured to generate a first video of a field of view as anautomobile travels along the first path of travel over the first timeperiod and a second video as the automobile travels along the secondpath of travel over the second time period; a processing element coupledwith the memory device and the video camera, the processing elementconfigured to: identify, for each of a plurality of geolocations alongthe racetrack, a duration of time over which a corresponding segment ofthe first path of travel and a corresponding segment of the second pathof travel traversed a respective geolocation, determine a determinationpoint indicative of similar geolocation and similar velocity between thefirst path of travel and the second path of travel, wherein afirst-subset of the first path of travel is before the determinationpoint and a second-subset of the first path of travel is after thedetermination point, and wherein a first-subset of the second path oftravel is before the determination point and a second-subset of thesecond path of travel is after the determination point, determine anoptimal path of travel along the racetrack by calculating a lap time totraverse the racetrack based on the identified duration of timeassociated with each segment of the first path of travel and theidentified duration of time associated with each segment of the secondpath of travel at each of the plurality of geolocations along theracetrack, the calculated lap time to traverse the racetrack along theoptimal path of travel being less than the first time period and thesecond time period, the optimal path of travel including thefirst-subset of the first path of travel and the second-subset of thesecond path of travel, and generate a spliced video of the determinedoptimal path of travel including the first video corresponding toportions of the determined optimal path of travel formed by segments ofthe first path of travel and the second video corresponding to portionsof the determined optimal path of travel formed by segments of thesecond path of travel.
 19. The racing coach device of claim 18, whereinthe processing element is further configured to: present, on a displaydevice, a graphical image of the racetrack; present, on the displaydevice, a graphical image of the first path of travel and the optimalpath of travel on the graphical image of the racetrack; and present, onthe display device, the spliced video of the optimal path of travel. 20.The racing coach device of claim 18, wherein the processing element isfurther configured to: determine a lateral position location of theautomobile along the racetrack during the first path of travel byanalyzing the first video generated as the automobile traveled along thefirst path of travel over the first time period.
 21. The racing coachdevice of claim 18, further comprising: a location determining componentconfigured to receive a location signal and determine a currentgeolocation of the racing coach device using the location signal,wherein the processing element is further configured to associate thecurrent geolocation with the captured video data.
 22. The racing coachdevice of claim 18, wherein the memory device is further configured tostore a distance corresponding to each segment of the first path oftravel and the second path of travel.
 23. The racing coach device ofclaim 18, further comprising: a motion sensor, and an output device;wherein the processing element is further configured to determine thatthe automobile is currently turning based at least in part on a rate ofchange of heading indicated by the motion sensor, and wherein the outputdevice provides feedback based on the optimal path and the turning ofthe automobile in real time.
 24. The racing coach device of claim 18,wherein the processing element is further configured to determine one ormore determination points associated with a similar geolocation betweenthe first path of travel and the second path of travel and blend thestart and finish of each segment of the determined optimal path oftravel at one or more determination points to account for differences ina velocity of the automobile at each segment of the first path of traveland the second path of travel.